Short on Time, Long on Friendship: Yachting Group Travel

Every now and then I write a wanderlust post, about somewhere I want to travel to and something I want to experience. This is one of those posts! Not being the most adventurous of people (I much prefer extreme shopping, to extreme white-water rafting for example), I tend to be fairly “standard” in my travel choices…ie. a flight, hotel and occasional spa visit.

But something I’d love to do, but have never done before (and I know the hubby would enjoy immensely), is staying on a yacht…and even better, doing it with a group of friends…

Yachting Group Travel

Holidays and travel, I believe, help shape us as people and certainly create lifelong memories. I’ve always traveled with either my family or my husband but on the rare occasion, with a larger group. I’ve found that group travel can make a holiday that much more memorable because we can share the amazing experience and discover things we may not have ordinarily.

So where does the yacht come in? Well, when searching for ways and places to travel as a group, I stumbled across some unique holiday packages with Ala Turka, including booking a standard yacht charter for group travel. How cool is that?! So I decided to talk to them a bit about what the yacht cruises have to offer and just why Turkish hospitality has people visiting every year…

Holiday on a Yacht That Feels Like Home

Ala Turka told me that holidaying in a standard class yacht in the Aegean feels like visiting a classical Turkish home in Anatolia. The tour operators say visitors are considered guests sent by God, “tanri misafiri” as Turkish people say. In Anatolia, guests are believed to bestow blessings upon the home they visit. The number of guests who knock on your door isn’t a matter of concern; the host dedicates all her energy to make the guests comfortable. No matter how big the houses are, they can accommodate any number of people. Standard yachts in the Aegean are the same way: they can accommodate any group size containing as much as 20-25 people. The 3 to 5 person crew on standard yachts are hardworking and friendly; they make being on the yacht feel like being at home. Also, guests decide when to end the visit – you and your group can stay on the standard yachts as long as they remain afloat!

Stay as Long as You Want

I asked about Turkish hospitality and was promptly told that there is no time limit when visiting a Turkish home. If a tanri misafiri knocks on the door at 4 am in the morning, the host wouldn’t turn the guest away. Doors are always open for a cup of tea, or a bowl of soup. Reflecting Turkish hospitality, there are no off-seasons to enjoy a yachting holiday in the Aegean with your group of friends. The weather might be a little chilly during the winter or early spring, but the worst-case scenario is your teeth might chatter a little on less sunny days. Let’s face it, it’s still going to be a vast improvement on the British weather isn’t it?!

Again, in line with Turkish hospitality and culture, your crew-mates become friends, making it too hard to not visit again! It’s not only the crew you’ll be come friends with on this type of holiday…you’ll have new aquatic mates too…the octopus, moray eels, stone fish, sea snakes, and other amazing sea creatures you’ll come across when you snorkel in the Aegean.

I want to go!

Having discovered so much about what a group yachting holiday in Turkey has to offer, I want to book one now! I can just picture myself whiling the long evenings away, drinking, chatting and taking-in the wonders of the surroundings of the Aegean coast, on the amazing yacht.

If you’re interested in this holiday, head on over to their site to plan your soon-to-be lifelong cherished holiday.